Will baby boomers redefine old age?

Most baby boomers, as they get into their 60's will retain their independence and fight for change in many of the parameters and rules that have dogged old age in days past.

There's a lot of discussion about our aging population and its consquences on society? Today's hot topics, an aging population and a low birth rate, preoccupy many people, and are often presented as a vision of horror.

Will the job market, the health care system, and the wheels of government be able to cope with the mass retirement of baby-boomers, some of whom are now reaching their 60s?

If people under 65 only represent half instead of two thirds of the population, will they be able to respond to the needs of the elderly?

Instead of fearing for the future and seeing older people as a burden, why not look at things more positively? Babyboomers took action and lived the battles, and in doing so they changed the image of society. Why, then, should it be thought that they wouldn't live their retirement and older years with the same passion for liberty and independence?

Odds are that they will, for example, fight for the right to more dignity at the end of life and for better health care, and that they will advance many of the debates surrounding aging, such as the age of retirement.

More educated, more financially secure, and with a longer life expectancy than the previous generation, baby-boomers will probably remain actively involved much longer and the economy could benefit from their spending habits, most notably in the recreational market.

In short, there will be challenges to take up. But today's youth won't be acing them alone, and they will also benefit from the social changes brought about by their parents and grandparents.